Trump says US will work with Thailand and Cambodia, adds both 'want to settle'
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he believed both Thailand and Cambodia wanted to settle their differences after he told the leaders of both countries that he would not conclude trade deals with them unless they ended their fighting.
"I spoke to both of the prime ministers, and I think by the time I got off, I think they want to settle now," Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Turnbery, Scotland.
Rubio says US officials are in Malaysia to help in Cambodia-Thailand talks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said State Department officials were in Malaysia to assist peace efforts as Cambodia and Thailand were scheduled to begin talks there on Monday in hopes for a ceasefire.
President Donald Trump and Rubio were engaged with their counterparts for each country and were monitoring the situation very closely, Rubio said in a statement released by the State Department late on Sunday in the US and early Monday in Asia.
"We want this conflict to end as soon as possible," he said. "State Department officials are on the ground in Malaysia to assist these peace efforts."
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia were scheduled to attend mediation talks over their deadly border conflict in Malaysia on Monday, the Thai government said, as both sides accused each other of launching fresh artillery strikes across contested areas.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have intensified since the late-May killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief border skirmish. Border troops on both sides were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse.
Hostilities resumed on Thursday and, within just four days, escalated into the worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbors in more than a decade.
The death toll has risen above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia, while authorities report that more than 200,000 people have been evacuated from border areas.
Thailand's government said it was attending talks arranged by Malaysia in its role as chair of the regional ASEAN bloc, while Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the talks were co-organised by the United States with the participation of China.
ANWAR TO CHAIR TALKS
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had proposed ceasefire talks soon after the border dispute erupted into conflict on Thursday, and China and the United States also offered to assist in negotiations.
Thailand had said it supported calls for a ceasefire in principle but wanted to negotiate bilaterally, while Cambodia had called for international involvement.
Anwar said he expected to chair the negotiations after being asked by representatives of the two governments to try to find a peace settlement, state media agency Bernama reported.
"So, I'm discussing the parameters, the conditions, but what is important is (an) immediate ceasefire," he said late on Sunday.
